WFC: Manchester United drop by Harvard for schooling

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — An Ivy League soccer club landed at the icon of Ivy League schools as English powers Manchester United visited Harvard University on Tuesday morning.

The Red Devils, who touched down on US soil on Monday, are in town for Wednesday night’s World Football Challenge opening match at Gillette Stadium against the New England Revolution (8 pm ET, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes).

The entire Manchester United squad and coaching staff attended the event and posed in front of the John Harvard statue, wrapped in a Revolution-Manchester United event scarf, and each player made sure to touch the figure’s feet for good luck ahead of the upcoming English Premier League season.

Sir Alex Ferguson and team captain Nemanja Vidic were presented with iconic Harvard sweaters by university president Drew Faust and the rest of the players were gifted crimson Harvard caps, which many were still donning at the team hotel hours later.

Not too far away, former Man. United legend Dennis Irwin led a clinic conducted by Manchester United soccer schools at Harvard Stadium. Meanwhile, a group of shell-shocked Serbian and Korean tourists jumped at the opportunity to pose and exchange a few words with Serbian defender Vidic and Korean star Park Ji-Sung.

Center back Rio Ferdinand, who made a concerted effort to record as much of the visit as possible with his handheld, delivered the line of the morning when addressing Brazilian teammate Anderson and new arrival Ashley Young.